Obituary of Grace Mary Robinson

Grace, a life-long resident of Maple Ridge, was third of the eight children born to Pastor AJL Haynes and his wife Edna, and for seventy-three years a member of Maple Ridge Baptist Church. After a lifetime of ministry as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, musician, board member, counsellor, confidante, businesswoman, and friend, she left to be with her Lord Sunday, January 29, 2013. Mom was predeceased by her beloved husband Bill (1971), her eldest son Robin, and precious granddaughters Aimee, Hailey and Rebekah. Known by many as “GG” (Gramma Grace) she leaves behind her daughter-in-law Jan, sons Stanley, Stewart, Stephen, Wesley and Daniel and their families — 17 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” And we invite you to her service of remembrance Saturday, February 9, 2013 starting 1:00 p.m. at Maple Ridge Baptist Church, 22155 Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge. See below for tributes and opportunities to donate to ministries mom loved. Casa Compasiva Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches Pacific ***** Award of Merit: Grace Robinson Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in BC & Yukon Convention 2002 By Joan Newton Grace Robinson is the oldest continuously serving member of Maple Ridge Baptist Church, the church she grew up in, and which her father, Arthur Haynes, served as pastor for 43 years. Following in her parents’ footsteps, Grace has devoted her life to the Lord and His work. Grace was born on May 26, 1929, the third child of Arthur & Edna Haynes. Her parents named her after her mother’s close friend, Grace Birch, the mother of Grace’s current pastor, Art Birch. She was baptized on Christmas Day, 1938 and became a member of the church on January 1, 1939. Grace’s service for the Lord began at the tender age of 10 or 11, when she remembers playing piano for various groups – quartets, male chorus, etc. Her early love of music became one of the several passions that have influenced her service for the Lord. Grace has played piano and organ for choirs and groups throughout her lifetime. She has recently assisted in accompanying the Jubilation (Seniors) Choir. She still occasionally plays the organ in morning services (something which recently astonished one of her grandsons who had never realized his grandmother had the ability to “play all those keyboards and use her feet too!”) Grace graduated from Maple Ridge High School in 1947. She attended Vancouver Bible Institute for 3 years, graduating along with her husband, Bill, in 1950. Grace married her beloved husband, Bill, in 1948. The first of their six sons was born in 1949. Grace is grateful to her Lord for a husband who set a high standard of faithful service to God in his role as husband and father and to his church. Bill was a board chairman for many years, and he and Grace took over a small evening service in Pitt Meadows begun as an outreach ministry by Grace’s father. Bill was killed in a logging accident in 1971. Left a widow at age 42, Grace credits Bill’s strong influence in helping to raise her five boys who were still at home, the youngest of whom was eight. Bill’s faithfulness to God’s calling on his life coupled with the example of devotion to God, His church and community, demonstrated by her parents, Arthur & Edna, helped to instill in their six children the importance of faithful service. All of their sons have served the Lord in their churches in various capacities: deacons, board chairman, building & finance committee member, Sunday School teaching, youth work, music, care group leadership, ministry leadership, college board chairman, college teaching, pastoral service, project manager – NBTC building project, and missions. It is this latter area of ministry that demonstrated another passion of Grace’s – missions. It is obvious that this is a family passion, given that two of her siblings, as well as one of her grandchildren, are currently serving the Lord as missionaries. She is a member of the MRBC Missions Ministry Team, chaired by her youngest son. She has just completed her third two-year term with FEBInternational, traveling at least twice a year back to Ontario for board meetings. Grace represented MRBC for five years as a member of the FEBBC/Y council, and served numerous times as an MRBC delegate to provincial and national conventions. A passion for Christian literature and a belief in its value to Christian community led Grace and her friend and business partner, Thea Scott, to open a Christian bookstore in 1973. Skylar Christian Books began in the tiny shop in Maple Ridge. Here Grace and Thea provided not only Christian literature for the community, but also the ministry of encouragement to those who frequented their store. Eventually, they moved the business to Coquitlam, renaming it Skylark Lifebuilders. The business (now known as Blessings) was sold in 1991. Grace has endeavored to foster the love of learning and the value of Christian literature in her children and grandchildren by being sure that books are an important part of her gift giving. Christian education is another of Grace’s passions. She has served MRBC as a teacher at every level: children, youth, and adult, particularly enjoying teaching Bible-based parenting. Her concern for the church’s growth and ministry lead Grace to attend the Purpose-Driven Church Conference in California, as well as a recent conference in Natural Church Development. Grace has enjoyed reading in the areas of Evangelism, Missions, Christian Education, Church Growth, and Church History. These interests, and the knowledge she has acquired has made her a valuable member of teams who have studied the effectiveness of MRBC over the years. She most recently served in 1999 on the Vision Team of the church, helping to set the direction of the church’s work for the past three years. Grace has participated in all of MRBC’s Christian Life and Service Seminars and was one of the early participants in Evangelism Explosion. She currently serves as a member of the CLASS 101 Ministry Planning team, as well as a table discussion leader. Throughout her lifetime of love for God and service to Him and MRBC, Grace has been a blessing to her family, her church, and her many friends. She continues to be grateful to God for the solid church home she has in MRBC, her father who pastored God’s flock faithfully for 43 years, a husband who obeyed the call of God upon his life, and God’s gift of six supportive sons and their wives!